Closure cap



G. F. CHAPLIN June 5, 1956 CLOSURE CAP Filed May 20, 19537/I!IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIlIII /4 United States Patent CLOSURE CAP George F.Chaplin, Elmwood lark, Ill., assignor to White Cap Company, Chicago,11L, a corporation of Delaware Application May 20, 1953, Serial No.356,134

3 Claims. (Cl. 215-40) The present invention relates, generally, toclosure caps of the pressed-on type for glass and plastic bottles, jars,and the like, and more particularly, to such closure caps having a sideseal gasket locked into an outer shell and having an inner shell whichserves to support the gasket and absorb and transmit the radial thrustof the gasket without distorting the skirt portion of the outer shell.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of pressed-on typeclosure caps for hermetically sealing glass and plastic bottles, jarsand like containers, which caps have outer shells of any desired shapesor configurations and which have nested and locked therein so as not tobe visible from the outside a side-seal gasket and an inner shell whichserves to support the gasket in such a manner that no distorting forceis applied to the side wall or skirt portion of the outer shell.

An important object of the invention is the provision of closure caps ofthe foregoing type wherein there is centered and nested within the outershell of each cap an inner shell having a top panel portionofconsiderably smaller diameter than the diameter of the top panel of theouter shell with which it is in abutting engagement, from which innershell top panel depends a waist or upper skirt portion of considerablysmaller diameter than the skirt portion of the outer shell so as to beannularly spaced therefrom, and from the bottom of which waist or upperskirt portion there depends a lower frustoconical skirt portion, thebottom edge of which contacts the skirt portion of the outer shell onlyadjacent an inwardly turned flange integrally formed around the bottomedge of the outer shell and into which is locked the bottom edge of aside seal sleeve gasket with the main portion of the gasket beingsupported in a frusto-conical shape by engagement with the lowerfrusto-conical skirt portion of the inner shell.

Certain other objects of the invention Will, in part, be obvious andwill, in part, appear hereinafter.

For a more complete understanding of the nature and scope of theinvention, reference may now be had to the following detaileddescription thereof taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,wherein:

Fig. l is a side elevational View of a pressed-on type closure capforming one embodiment of the present invention shown applied to themouth of a glass jar, the lower portion of which has been broken away;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view on enlarged scale takenthrough the side wall portion of the closure cap of Fig. I removed fromthe mouth of the container and showing in broken line the distortion ofthe skirt portion of the inner shell when the closure cap is pressedonto the mouth of the jar; and

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on enlarged scale corresponding to Fig. 2showing the cap in place on the mouth of the jar with the side sealgasket squeezed into sealing relationship with the side of the jar andthe skirt portion of the inner shell distorted to the position shown inbroken line in Fig. 2.

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Referring to the drawings, the pressed-on closure cap 5 shown thereinconsists of an outer shell indicated generally at 6, an inner shellindicated generally at 7 and a side seal sleeve gasket indicatedgenerally at 8.

The outer shell 6 has a fiat top panel portion 9 from which depends aplane cylindrical skirt portion 10 on the bottom edge of which is formeda circumferential inwardly turned flange 11 which provides a groove forclamping and locking in place therein against the bottom of the skirtportion of the inner shell 7, the bottom edge of the gasket 8. Thereversely directed edge 12 of the flange 11 bites into the gasketmaterial as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

The inner shell 7 is centered and nested within the outer shell 10 andhas a flat top panel portion 13 in flatwise engagement with the panelportion 9 of the outer shell and from which depends a skirt portionhaving an upper plain cylindrical section and a lower frusto-conicalsection 15. The diameter of the top panel portion 13 of the inner shellis substantially smaller than the diameter of the top panel 9 of theouter shell. Likewise, the diameter of the upper cylindrical section 14,including the waist section 16, is substantially smaller than thediameter of the skirt portion 10 of the outer shell, thereby leaving awide annular space therebetween.

The only contact of the skirt portion of the inner shell with the skirtportion 10 of the outer shell is where the bottom edge of thefrusto-conical section 15 engages the skirt portion 10 of the outershell adjacent the gasket locking flange 11 as indicated at 17 in Fig.2. The heights or vertical lengths of the upper plain cylindricalsection 14 and of the lower frusto-conical section 15 of the skirt ofthe inner shell are approximately equal with the waist section 16, beinglocated in approximately the middle of the skirt portion of the innershell 7.

The gasket 8 is formed of a suitable deformable elastic material such asa relatively stiff and dense composition rubber and it is so dimensionedthat the upper edge of the gasket projects Within the waist section 16and the upper section 14 of the inner shell 7, as indicated at 18 inFig. 2. The gasket 8 is supported in a frusto-conical shape by thefrusto-conical section 15.

When the cap 5 is pressed onto the mouth of a glass jar or othercontainer as shown in Fig. l, the gasket 8 is compressed and distortedinto side-sealing relationship with the neck or mouth of the glasscontainer as shown in Fig. 3. The type sealing action and the nature ofthe seal obtained correspond to those obtained with close caps havingside-seal gaskets as disclosed and described in Patent 2,339,827 toWilliam P. White January 25, 1944. While the gasket 8 is formed of adeformable material, preferably it is relatively stiff and dense andconsiderable force is required to press it into and retain it in thedeformed sealing condition as shown in Fig. 3. This force results in theapplication of a radial thrust on the Waist 16 of the inner shell 7,which distends or distorts the waist 16 slightly but noticeably from itsnormal position as shown in broken line in Fig. 2.

The distortion of the skirt portion of the inner shell which occurslargely at the waist 16 is resisted and absorbed by the top panelportion 13 of the inner shell pressing against the top panel portion 9of the outer shell and by the bottom edge of the frusto-conical section15 being forced downwardly into the bottom edge of the gasket 8, therebyincreasing the force with which the gasket is locked into the outershell 10. It will thus be seen that the side sealing action between thegasket 8 and the side wall surface of the mouth of the jar is obtainedpartly through the compressibility of the gasket itself and partially asthe result of the stiff spring action of the side wall or skirt portionof the inner shell 7.

It is important to note that the inner shell 7 transmits force to thetwo portions of the outer shell 6 which have the greatest capacity toreceive and resist it. Thus, the upward thrust of the top panel portion13 of the inner shell against the top panel portion 9 of the outer shellis over a large bearing area so that the local pressure is minimized.The downward and outward thrust of the bottom edge of the frusto-conicalsection 15 is easily resisted by the strength of the rim or flange 11.Force is not applied to the skirt portion 10 of the outer shell 6adjacent the middle thereof where it would cause distortion.

The pressedon caps may be inexpensively produced on a quantityproduction basis with standard production machinery. Thus, the outer andinner cap shells 6 and 7, respectively, may be stamped from sheet stock,the shells nested and the gaskets 8 locked in place in the flange 11through use of standard presses and dies.

The caps 5 may not only be used for hermetically sealing the containersduring the original filling and packaging operation, as described inabove-mentioned Patent 2,339,827, but they are especially adapted to berepeatcdly removed and re-applied after the containers have been openedand while some of the contents are left therein. The original hermeticseal may be efiected and maintained by the use of known vacuum packagingtechniques and the caps 5 will then be retained in place on the mouthsof the jars or bottles not only through the friction exerted by thegasket against the side surface of the container but also by atmosphericpressure acting on the tops of the caps to the extent that it is notopposed by pressure within the container. A suitable tool such as aknife blade may be used to pry oh? the covers when the packages arefirst opened and thereafter the covers can be removed by twisting andlifting up on the caps. The knife or other pry-off tool may be rested onthe shoulder 21 formed around the container.

Since certain changes and modifications may be made in the particularembodiment of the invention described above and shown in theaccompanying drawings, and since certain additional embodiments of theinvention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention, all matter described above or shown in the accompanyingdrawings is intended to be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

What is claimed as new is:

l. A closure cap comprising, in combination, an outer shell having a toppanel portion, a depending skirt portion and an inturned flange on thebottom edge of said depending skirt portion, an inner shell centered andnested within the outer shell and having a top panel portion and adepending skirt portion characterized by an upper waist sectionannularly spaced within and from said skirt portion of said outer shelland a lower frustoconical section which increases in diameter from thatof said waist section to that of the interior of said skirt portion ofsaid outer shell, the only contact between said skirt portions of saidinner and outer shells being that of the bottom edge of said lowerfrusto-conical section of the inner shell skirt portion with said outershell skirt portion adjacent said inwardly turned flange, and an annularsleeve gasket of elastically deformable sealing material nested withinsaid frusto-conical section of said inner shell skirt portion with thelower edge of said gasket secured against the bottom of saidfrusto-conical section by said inturned flange portion and with theupper edgeof said gasket disposed within said waist section, said toppanel portion of said inner shell being held in fiatwise abutment withthe top panel portion of said outer shell.

2. A closure cap comprising, in combination, an outer shell having a toppanel portion, a plain cylindrical depending skirt portion and aninturned flange on the bottom edge of said outer shell, an inner shellcentered and nested within the outer shell and having a top panelportion of substantially smaller diameter than the top panel portion ofsaid outer shell and a depending skirt portion characterized by an upperplain cylindrical section of substantially smaller diameter than thediameter of said skirt portion of said outer shell and a lowerfrusto-conical section which increases in diameter from that of saidupper section to that of the interior of said skirt portion of saidouter shell, the only contact between said skirt portions of said innerand outer shells being that of the bottom edge of said lowerfrusto-conical section of the inner shell skirt portion with said outershell skirt portion adjacent said inwardly turned flange, and an annularsleeve gasket of elastically deformable sealing material nested withinsaid frusto'conical section of said inner shell skirt portion with thelower edge of said gasket being secured against the bottom of saidfrusto-conical section by said inturned flange on the bottom of saidouter shell skirt portion and with the upper edge of said gasketdisposed within said upper section of the skirt portion of said innershell, said top panel portion of said inner shell being held in fiatwiseabutment with the top panel portion of said outer shell.

3. A closure cap comprising, in combination, an outer shell having aflat top panel portion, a plain cylindrical depending skirt portion andan inturned flange on the bottom edge of said outer shell, an innershell centered and nested within the outer shell and having a fiat toppanel portion of substantially smaller diameter than the top panelportion of said outer shell and 21 depending skirt portion characterizedby an upper plain cylindrical section of substantially smailer diameterthan the diameter of said skirt portion of said outer shell and a lowerfrustoconical section which increases in diameter from that of saidupper section to that of the interior of said skirt portion of saidouter shell, the only contact between said skirt portions of said innerand outer shells being that of the bottom edge of said lowerfrusto-conical section of the inner shell skirt portion with said outershell 'skirt portion adjacent said inwardly turned flange, and anannular sleeve gasket of elastically deformable sealing material nestedwithin said frusto-conical section of said inner shell skirt portionwith the lower edge of said gasket being secured against the bottom ofsaid frusto-conical section by said inturned flange and with the upperedge of said gasket disposed within said upper section of the skirtportion of said inner shell, said top panel portion of said inner shellbeing held in flatwise abutment with the top panel portion of said outershell, the waist between said upper and lower sections of said innershell skirt portion being located approximately midway between the topand bottom of said skirt portion of said inner shell.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,116,938 White May 10, 1938 2,158,683 White May 16, 1939 2,233,105McCombs Feb. 25, 1941 2,339,827 \Vhite Jan. 25, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS525,102 Great Britain Aug. 21, 1940

